A fifth of UK staff fear their job may soon be redundant

One in three workers believes Britain is heading for a recession and more
fear unemployment will rise, according to a survey.

A poll of 1,000 employees by HR consultants Chiumento finds 20 per cent
believe they are at risk of losing their job, and almost a quarter say their
company is already cutting back on staff.

Forty per cent believe unemployment will rise during the next year and 29
per cent that their sector is in decline. In the past 12 months almost 40 per
cent had experienced redundancy directly or through close friends or family.

Forty-four per cent say they now view redundancy as a fact of life, but 45
per cent still claim they are worried about how they would make ends meet next
year.

Senior and middle managers are feeling the most unsure about their future –
20 per cent say they are worried about their job, while just 14 per cent of
junior employees feel at risk.

Chiumento’s managing director Richard Chiumento said: "The UK is now a
service rather than a manufacturing economy so the days of regular mass
lay-offs among blue collar workers are past. The mass lay-offs affect a whole
range of more senior employees from highly qualified call centre staff to City
bankers."

More than a third of those surveyed said they would view redundancy as a
fresh start.